Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City
Encyclopedia
Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City is the eighth studio album
by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan
-member Ghostface Killah
, released September 29, 2009 on Def Jam Recordings
in the United States. He first announced the album in a May 2008 interview, describing it as an R&B
-inspired album, similar to his previous work with such artists as Ne-Yo
and Jodeci
. The album spawned four singles; "Baby", a slow-tempo R&B song with auto-tune
vocals by Raheem "Radio" DeVaughn
, "Forever", "Let's Stop Playin'" featuring John Legend
, and "Guest House", featuring Fabolous
& Shareefa
. Upon its release, Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City received generally positive reviews from music critics. As of December 12, 2009, the album has sold 43,618 copies in the United States.
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 68, based on 13 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Allmusic editor David Jeffries gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and called the album an "oversexed, always fun, and occasionally hilarious effort", commenting that "Nasty as he wants to be, Ghostdini is nothing more than the Face and friends having a good time. The results are as improper as they are infectious". The Smoking Section wrote that "makes its mark as Ghostface’s most idealistic album furthering its distinction against Ghost’s previously renowned offerings". Delusions of Adequacy's Bryan Sanchez commented that "Forever flourishing, there is so much to love about an album as playfully awesome as this one". Time Out writer Jesse Serwer gave it four out of five stars and complimented Ghostface Killah's "risqué approach" to R&B, calling the album "unique among efforts by rappers to reach into such territory: It’s in no way soft".
However, Larry Fitzmaurice of Tiny Mix Tapes
gave it one-and-a-half out of five stars and disliked the album's subject matter, stating "as an album, it’s complete shit, but at least there are a few tracks to listen to when you’re driving". Jon Dolan of Spin
gave the album a seven out of 10 rating and wrote favorably of Ghostface Killah's lyrics, stating "Even the raw stuff has the humanizing detail that keeps Ghost interesting years after we've grown accustomed to his imagesplaying Joycean
flow". In his consumer guide for MSN Music
, critic Robert Christgau
gave the album an A- rating, indicating "the kind of garden-variety good record that is the great luxury of musical micromarketing and overproduction". Christgau commended Ghostface's "potentially ridiculous switch to love man" and commented that "rhymewise, this is original work. Eschewing oily sexual details, luxury purchases, and vows of generalized devotion, Ghost mines the same kind of specifics that juice his gangsta repertoire".
Sample credits
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
-member Ghostface Killah
Ghostface Killah
Dennis Coles , better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and prominent member of the Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang , the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success...
, released September 29, 2009 on Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
in the United States. He first announced the album in a May 2008 interview, describing it as an R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
-inspired album, similar to his previous work with such artists as Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...
and Jodeci
Jodeci
Jodeci is an American band, whose repertoire includes R&B, soul music, and new jack swing. The group consists of two pairs of brothers from Hampton, Virginia and Charlotte, North Carolina: Cedric & Joel Hailey and Donald & Dalvin DeGrate, all respectively known by their stage names: K-Ci & Jojo,...
. The album spawned four singles; "Baby", a slow-tempo R&B song with auto-tune
Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise off-key inaccuracies and mistakes, and has allowed singers to perform apparently perfectly tuned vocal...
vocals by Raheem "Radio" DeVaughn
Raheem DeVaughn
Raheem DeVaughn is an American singer and songwriter. His debut album, The Love Experience , reached No. 46 on the Billboard 200 album chart. It featured the singles "Guess Who Loves You More" and "You". His second album Love Behind the Melody was released in January 2008...
, "Forever", "Let's Stop Playin'" featuring John Legend
John Legend
John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...
, and "Guest House", featuring Fabolous
Fabolous
John David Jackson , better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper of African American and Dominican descent. He grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Part of his early popularity arose from his hit single "Can't Deny It" in 2001, from his debut...
& Shareefa
Shareefa
Shareefa Faradah Cooper , professionally known as Shareefa, is an R&B singer. Shareefa has also lived in Charlotte, North Carolina. She signed with Disturbing tha Peace/Def Jam Recordings in 2005. Her debut single, "Need a Boss", featuring rapper and labelmate Ludacris, was produced by Rodney...
. Upon its release, Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City received generally positive reviews from music critics. As of December 12, 2009, the album has sold 43,618 copies in the United States.
Reception
Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City received positive reviews from most music critics. At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 68, based on 13 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Allmusic editor David Jeffries gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and called the album an "oversexed, always fun, and occasionally hilarious effort", commenting that "Nasty as he wants to be, Ghostdini is nothing more than the Face and friends having a good time. The results are as improper as they are infectious". The Smoking Section wrote that "makes its mark as Ghostface’s most idealistic album furthering its distinction against Ghost’s previously renowned offerings". Delusions of Adequacy's Bryan Sanchez commented that "Forever flourishing, there is so much to love about an album as playfully awesome as this one". Time Out writer Jesse Serwer gave it four out of five stars and complimented Ghostface Killah's "risqué approach" to R&B, calling the album "unique among efforts by rappers to reach into such territory: It’s in no way soft".
However, Larry Fitzmaurice of Tiny Mix Tapes
Tiny Mix Tapes
Tiny Mix Tapes is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, as well as its mix tapes generator.-History:Originally called Tiny Mixtapes Gone to Heaven and...
gave it one-and-a-half out of five stars and disliked the album's subject matter, stating "as an album, it’s complete shit, but at least there are a few tracks to listen to when you’re driving". Jon Dolan of Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
gave the album a seven out of 10 rating and wrote favorably of Ghostface Killah's lyrics, stating "Even the raw stuff has the humanizing detail that keeps Ghost interesting years after we've grown accustomed to his imagesplaying Joycean
Joycean
A text is deemed Joycean when it is reminiscent of the writings of James Joyce, particularly Ulysses or Finnegans Wake. Joycean fiction exhibits a high degree of verbal play, usually within the framework of stream of consciousness. Works that are "Joycean" may also be technically eclectic,...
flow". In his consumer guide for MSN Music
MSN Music
MSN Music was a part of the MSN web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. In 2004, Microsoft created an MSN Music download store to compete with Apple's iTunes Music Store, though its sales in comparison were...
, critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
gave the album an A- rating, indicating "the kind of garden-variety good record that is the great luxury of musical micromarketing and overproduction". Christgau commended Ghostface's "potentially ridiculous switch to love man" and commented that "rhymewise, this is original work. Eschewing oily sexual details, luxury purchases, and vows of generalized devotion, Ghost mines the same kind of specifics that juice his gangsta repertoire".
Track listing
- "Stapleton Sex" was excluded from the album's censored version.
Sample credits
- "Not Your Average Girl" contains elements of "Drowning in the Sea of Love" performed by Joe SimonJoe SimonJoseph Henry "Joe" Simon is an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s-1940s Golden Age of Comic Books and served as the first editor of Timely Comics, the company that would evolve into Marvel Comics.With his...
, and excerpts from "Theme From the Planets" performed by Dexter WanselDexter WanselDexter Gilman Wansel is an American keyboardist, raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He contributed to the development of the Philly Sound and worked with producers Gamble and Huff at Philadelphia International Records. Wansel led the musical group, Yellow Sunshine... - "Do Over" contains excerpts from "I Can't Stop My Love" performed by Norman Feels
- "Lonely" contains samples of "Lonesome Lonely & Alone" performed by Love Peace & Happiness
- "Baby" contains samples of "Grasshoppers" performed by Ryuichi SakamotoRyuichi SakamotoAfter working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as...
- "Stay" contains samples of "Stay A Little Longer" performed by Yvonne FairYvonne FairYvonne Fair was an African American singer, best known for her 1976 recording of "It Should Have Been Me".-Biography:...
- "Guest House" contains samples of "El Jardia" performed by Johnny PateJohnny PateJohnny Pate is a jazz bassist who late became a music arranger/producer, and a leading figure in Chicago soul as well as pop/R&B music....
- "Let's Stop Playin'" contains samples of "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)"Inner City Blues ", often shortened to "Inner City Blues", is a song by Marvin Gaye, released as the third and final single from and the climactic song of his 1971 landmark album, What's Going On...
" performed by Marvin GayeMarvin GayeMarvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range.... - "Forever" contains elements of "We'll Always Be Together" performed by The WhatnautsThe WhatnautsThe Whatnauts were an American soul group from Baltimore, Maryland founded in 1969. The group had several hit singles in the early 1970s, including the socially conscious single "Message From A Black Man" in 1970 on A&I International, "Please Make The Love Go Away" also in 1970 but on Stang, and...
- "Goner" contains elements of "Watching You"
- "Back Like That" contains a sample of "Baby Come Home" performed by Willie HutchWillie HutchWillie McKinley Hutchison, known professionally as Willie Hutch was an American singer, songwriter as well as a record producer and recording artist for the Motown record label during the 1970s and 1980s....
, and an interpolationInterpolation (music)Interpolation in music refers to an abrupt change in musical elements from the main theme.-In classical music:In music and musical composition, especially 20th century and later, interpolation is an abrupt change of elements, with continuation of the first idea...
of "Song CrySong Cry"Song Cry" is a song by American rapper Jay-Z and produced by Just Blaze. It was the fourth and final single from his sixth studio album The Blueprint...
" performed by Jay-ZJay-ZShawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
Personnel
Credits for Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City adapted from Allmusic.- Anthony "Acid" Caputo – Engineer, Mixing, Producer
- Ed "Wolverine" Goldson – Bass, Guitar, Keyboards
- Brian Herman – Engineer
- Ken Ifill – Mixing
- Scram Jones – Producer
- Justice League – Producer
- Jack Knight – Vocals (Background)
- James Lewis – Bass, Guitar
- Mela Machinko – Vocals (Background)
- Bei Maejor – Producer
- Mahogany – Producer
- Shareefa – Vocals
- Skymark – Engineer, Producer
- Rashad Smith – Engineer
- Mike Tocci – Engineer
- Doug Wilson – Engineer
- Kristen Yiengst – Photography
- Jordan "DJ Swivel" Young – Engineer
External links
- Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...